| June 25, 2012
Bishop Paul Tan lends his support to Bersih chairperson S Ambiga's proposal. He also says that the present government discriminates against those who do not profess Islam.
PETALING JAYA: A vocal Catholic leader has
backed the call to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to look
into corruption and other issues such as race relations if Pakatan Rakyat forms
the federal government.
Focusing on freedoms, Bishop Paul Tan said
these, especially religious freedom, and truth sprung from the dignity of being
human beings and curtailing them was an act aligned with the devil.
“It is the smothering to death the dignity of
being a human being – the truth of being a genuine human being,” he told FMT.
The head of the Malacca and Johor diocese was
responding to Bersih chairperson S Ambiga ’s
proposal to form the TRC instead of going on a witchhunt against the corrupt if
the opposition bloc seized federal power
Arguing that it would not bode well for a
nation in transition to be burdened with such court proceedings, the former Bar
Council president suggested that amnesty be extended to those who came clean
and cooperated to allow the commission to recover lost assets.
Ambiga also said that the TRC should look into
other issues which had affected the nation during the course of Barisan
Nasional’s protracted rule.
Reconciliation is necessary
Reconciliation is necessary
Refraining from taking sides with either
political bloc, Tan explained why he supported the proposal put forth by the
Bersih chairperson.
“A human being is born with an intrinsic elan
or a thrust for freedom to search for truth which should lead ultimately to
love, concretely, acceptance of each other just as God accepts us with all our
goodness and sinfulness,” he said.
“But to attain this type of intrinsic search
for true freedom, one must remove all obstacles in its way, such as prejudices,
biased opinions, hatred, anger, craving for money that leads to corruption,
etc. This means that reconciliation with others must be a prerequisite to
attain true freedom.
“One cannot love another different [cultural,
racial or religious] from oneself [acceptance of another as he or she is]
without first being reconciled. Therefore, reconciliation is a necessary step
to love of others,” he added.
Therefore, Tan said all, be it from BN,
Pakatan or NGOs should support the TRC because it touched the basic nature of
being a human being.
The present govt discriminates
Without mincing his words, the bishop said the
fact that the present government discriminated against those who did not
profess Islam could not be denied.
He noted that the Malaysian Consultative
Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) had
submitted numerous memorandums to the government complaining about this
discrimination.
“It is too long for me to go into the string
of unhappiness brought up by MCCBCHST. But just to give a few examples: the
enormous difficulty to get approval for the building of a church or temple, the
lack of burial grounds for non-Muslims, the unethical methods employed to
convert non-Mulims to become Muslims, etc. etc.
“Hardly anything is done to rectify this
discrimination,” he said.
Over the years, there had been several
contentious issues which put the government and Christian leaders at
loggerheads, among them, an accusation by the Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia
The row over using the term Allah in Malay
language bibles also witnessed the fire-bombing of several churches, leaving
the Christians incensed.
Fearing that this could lead to an electoral
backlash, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak last July visited the Vatican
‘Enough is enough!’
Meanwhile, Tan also posed a stinging question
to religious leaders.
“Have we subtly compromised our position in
order that we can get financial aid from the ruling coalition – through various
political parties?” he asked.
The bishop said while his statements were not
crafted to inflame any quarter, the matter however needed to be put across.
“What must be said must be said clear and
loudly: enough is enough!
“No lies, no corruption, no manipulation of
others, etc., because finally, truth will rear its head and justice will be
done for the peace of all,” he added.
Tan explained that he did not imply that
donations, even from the government, cannot be accepted but stressed that these
must come without strings attached.
“Donation without condition is a blessing.
Receiving monetary gifts tied directly or indirectly to political interests is
insidious and unethical,” he said.
“It is not a moral stand that I take. It is to
search with all of you for truth in the midst of the Malaysian political
situation where religion is made used of by politicians for their end and
politics is played to enhance one’s religion.
“I am sure there is room for different
opinions in this loaded question. At least, we dare face,” he added.
Ambiga’s TRC proposal came in the wake of DAP
strongman Lim Kit Siang’s remark that Dr Mahathir Mohamad was intensively
campaigning for BN because he feared prosecution under a Pakatan government.
Denying that he had indulged in corrupt
practices and abused his powers during his 22 years in office, the former
premier accused his long-time political foe of wanting to see him jailed or put
to death.
This drew flak from Lim, who said that he
harboured no such desire but stressed that Mahathir should not block a full
investigation into the numerous financial scandals during the latter’s term.
The TRC proposal was also backed by PKR
vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who stated that Pakatan was more interested
in rescuing the nation as opposed to prosecuting Mahathir.
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